Pure Gold
by An author with no name
Summary: An orphan that was left for dead on the streets suddenly meets his savior, a rich and kind hearted teen his age named Aiden. How will he handle his new life in a mansion? Is he gonna be left again? Only one thing is known, he is loved by the one who found him. Rated T for implied sexual content (at least I think that's how that goes)
1. A introduction to a kindhearted soul

In life, to me at least, I feel like it's practically every man and woman for himself/herself, which I thought back then, but then some Pokegod must've sent me an angel to change my mind. If you're already confused as to where I'm going with this. then let me fill you in on a little story that changed my life for the better. No question? Well at least not yet anyways, yeah I also love exposition.

Then let's start at the beginning, shall we?

-3 years ago in the streets of Jubilife City-

Once again I found myself walking amongst the streets, scouring for even one trace of food or money if I was lucky. But to no such luck, looks like I was going to sleep hungry again… What can I do in this situation anyway? Im lucky that a Pansage like me is even alive, but with no family or even anybody to turn to, i'll just have to rely on my own instincts. Even then i'm probably not gonna last as long. After all, I was cold, there was barely any trace of warmth anywhere. I couldn't move for much longer, almost as if I had already frozen to death. If only my parents were alive, if only that stupid accident never occurred, if only… they were alive and I wasn't. When I was 13, a fire had started in our complex, I was lucky enough to survive the fire, but my family wasn't. I lived with my uncle and aunt for 2 years, but I was such a hassle to raise because I kept being disobedient. Mainly because I didn't care about them, they could never be as good as my mom and dad were. They kicked me out because I practically started making them question their relationship. Ever since then, I've been roaming the streets of Jubilife in hopes of finding a shelter. I did, a small orphanage accepted me, but only for a bit of time, nobody wanted to adopt me. So I was kicked out, now here I am, no food, no warmth, no nothing…. I was about to close my eyes when suddenly I heard someone coming towards me. I couldn't move, not even a single step. More than likely, my life is going to end here

 _This is it_ I told myself.

"Hey! You! Are you ok?" That tone sounded comforting… maybe whoever they were wasn't going to hurt me, maybe they might help me... No, I doubt it. "Woah! You seem really cold and hungry… I know! I can help!" they said.

 _How can you even help someone like me?_ I looked up to see a male Monferno staring at me. He looked… rich to say the least, his jacket had some fur in it, and seemed rather expensive. Other than that, he looked to be of my age. But much more muscular, probably because he's a fighting type. Sounds a bit stereotypical, but most of the time it's true. His hair was the typical style for a Monferno.

 _Maybe I can steal some money from him…_

 _No, I can't do that…._

"Hey! C'mon I know someone who can help" they said.

"H-How can you trust m-me? I'm all by myself.." I replied. "Don't worry, were just going to my home!" he said.

Wait what? He is going to what? No, that can't be true, his parents are probably going to send me back to the streets. I feel something tug on my arm. He held me close and lifted me up. He was taking me… somewhere. I wanted to object at first, but the amount of warmth given to me was too overbearing. I stayed in place but moved a bit, I was still unsure of him. Eventually, I tried to wriggle out of his grasp. But his grip was too much, he was trying to reassure me "Relax, I'm actually serious, plus my parents aren't as uptight as you think." he said. We finally walked out of the ally I was in and made our way through the cold and somewhat dark streets. We reached a parking lot, it was clear he was going to take me to his house and that was final. Great… He told me to get inside… a limousine... He wasn't kidding, was he?

I can't even explain what the ambitions are of this Monferno, I can't tell if he is being serious or if he is just playing a cruel joke on me. If anything, it's probably the latter.

"Y'know, you really don't talk much do you?" he said. "W-Well what else can I say other than who are you?" I replied "Me? My name is Aedan, Aedan O'Leary, I've told you my name so tell me yours." he replied. "M-My name? My name is Nathan… Nathaniel Lawrence"

 _What now? Does he introduce his family or butler and what not?._ "Nathan… I like it! It has a certain elegance to it." he said.

Elegant? Is my name elegant? It's just supposed to be a regular name… Then a questioned popped up that I just had to ask him, hopefully, it doesn't bother him. "Why are you helping me? I mean, what's the catch?" I asked, he looked at me confused, then smiled brightly and said

"Well… I never thought of why I should, I knew I definitely had to help. As for a catch, well if you consider having to share a room with me a catch then that's it." he said.

Who knows? Maybe that was the catch… I never really liked sharing rooms or anything with anybody, it just feels invasive. But if it means having a place to stay, then I guess I have no choice. I'm just praying to Arceus that he has two beds in his room, one for a guest and another for him. Now that I think about it… Maybe he does have two beds. I mean it would make more sense after someone as generous as him would have friends right? Of course he does, in fact, they might even be snobs. I doubt anyone could match his friendliness, hell, if he could make friends with everyone in the world he would. He's the kinda guy who would treat a random stranger to a dinner at some expensive place without worrying about the consequences. He would take any girl and invite them over to make them feel like they're on the top of the world. All this assuming is starting to make him look like a marketing ploy. Then again, it could work, he's probably gonna kick me out in a couple weeks. Yeah, maybe that was the catch, or maybe his parents are too stuck up to let me stay there. Surely there must be some law that he's breaking with this.

My mind stopped thinking when Aedan suddenly yelled "We're here!" while pointing to something I could never imagine owning. To say that the mansion is huge is an understatement, there were two beautiful fountains statues carved in the image of a Kingdra. Trees were chosen in the right spots to make the yard seem free and expansive, flowers were blossoming in neat and beautiful flower beds. More than likely they have a garden in the back. Their house was painted in a petite shade of pink, with their roof covered in red shingles. Their windows were pristine and shined brightly, the patio was something to behold. It was helped by white marble columns, which also lined up the entire house. The patio itself was big and had deck chairs all over it. Perfect for a barbeque. I think they might even have an observation deck. Other than that, it's qualities could even rival the Pokemon mansion in Hearthome City. Which by the way, is saying a lot.

"You think that's impressive? Wait till you see the inside!" Aedan said. He grabbed my arm and we both exited the limousine. We stood before the golden gates and waited for them to open. A tiny screen appeared, and it asked for authorization and verification. Sure enough, Flint held out his arm and placed his hand against the screen. Which then flashed a green check mark, allowing us in. The gate opened, Aedan walked in and dragged me with him. As we walked down the path towards my possible new home, I noticed something. There was some sort of fragrance, it smelled like...something. My nose wasn't even sure what it was, but it just seemed to make me feel blissful. Like I had nothing to worry about, this smell was ensuring me that I was safe. It looked that way too, there were many guards patrolling around the mansion. They made sure every nook and cranny were safe and secure from any dangerous presence. Makes me wonder how much they're paid, probably would make a living off of that if I had a chance. We eventually reached the front doors, he really is going through with this…

"Say, Nathan, aren't you up for some food? I mean you look and kinda sound hungry." Aedan asked. Now that I think about it, yeah, I'm really hungry. I could go for so many things, but a cheeseburger would be nice and to the point. He looked at me with concern, I simply nodded back. He smiled, and open the doors. Somehow, he never ceases to amaze me. His home seemed to radiate a glow only capable of something like an Amphorous, maybe even a legendary Pokemon. The carpets, of course, were red in color and had gold linings, they looked to be hand stitched and made out of Mareep wool. Kinda sounds awful now that I think about it... But aside from the main foyer, there were other things to gawk at. Such as the white marble (of course) staircases that lead to the second floor, I guess those are where the sleeping quarters are. Two rooms were on the left and right of the main entrance, one lead to the dining room, the other to a sort of family room. Aedan put it upon himself to show me every bit and detail of this over the top home. He first led me to the dining room, "This is where everyone eats as a family!" he said. The table seemed to be made of some wooden material, I'm pretty sure it was oak or some jungle tree material. It was shaped like a rectangle with cut off corners and was made for at least 16 people from what I can assume. The chairs were all neatly placed in even rows and faced opposite of each other, two of the chairs seemed to have some sort of king and queen aesthetic. It's probably where the Mr and Mrs sat, the rest of the chairs had oak framing. While the cushions were made of purple velvet material to make it look real regal. The frame was shaped like an oval, but at the very top was an unrecognizable pattern. I've never seen anything like it. It looked like some sort of sun though, maybe even a star.

The rest of the room had white carpeting with, again, gold lineage, and had vases filled with yellow Chrysanthemums. The wallpaper was blue and white with what I can guess are rose shaped patterns. It was overall beautiful, for a dining room. Next, Flint led me past the kitchen. I wasn't sure why we just skipped the kitchen, but knowing millionaires, it's probably where the cooks and all sorts of maids are making food and preparing stuff for the family. But once we went passed the kitchen, I was a bit surprised to see another set of stairs. But these didn't go to the second floor. Instead, they led to an attic. Which meant lots and lots of climbing, but Flint didn't take me there. He led me to a patio that overviewed an entire garden, there were bushes and vases all lined up accordingly to form a square around a big fountain. I didn't recognize the model of the fountain, it looked to be something from quite possibly the Alolan region. I haven't even seen the Alolan region much less even see the Pokemon in there. But this shape couldn't have been from the Unova region or the Sinnoh region, much less the Kalos region. On the patio was Flint's dad, not an Infernape, but a Lucario. ( **I know this seems kinda stereotypical, but I couldn't find any other fighting type under the same egg category as Infernape).** This Lucario was special, however, for some reason, he didn't have any sort of spikes on his body. Usually, all Lucario have this trait, but this one doesn't for some odd reason. Aedan's dad turned to look at us

"Hmm? So you brought another guest home huh Aedan? What's this one's case eh?" he pointed what appeared to be a spatula at me. "Well, dad! This is Nathan, I found him all alone in a cold alleyway. He was really weak so I want him to stay here." _He isn't joking…_

"Ahh, so you're Nathan I take it? My son has brought people here, but they were never homeless. Say, why not help yourself to a cheeseburger?" _Aedan's dad must be REALLY friendly to let an orphan stay here._ My stomach rumbled, I couldn't say no to a cheeseburger on an empty stomach. Aedan's dad grabbed a plate from the table that just so happened to be close by, grabbing all the ingredients he needed along the way. He placed the pattie with cheese on a sesame seeded bun and began to put lettuce on top as well as a thinly cut tomato. My stomach rumbled, even more, I looked down embarrassed as my cheeks started to warm up a bit. Soon enough, Aedan's dad gave me the burger with a plate on it. It definitely smelled delicious and looked so...juicy. Without thinking, I took a huge bite into the burger. I could taste the ingredients clashing together in a sea of epic flavors, it was almost orgasmic, I couldn't stop myself from moaning out of pure pleasure. It was THAT good. _I just moaned in front of two guys over a damn tasty cheeseburger…_ Yep, something told me I wouldn't hear the end of it, especially that look of satisfaction Aedan was giving me.

"I didn't really expect that, but I mean, you haven't eaten in quite a lot of time haven't you? Take as many cheeseburgers as you want, fresh from the farms is what makes them so tasty too." Aedan's dad replied.

"Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself to you, anyway the name is Darrell O'Leary. But you can call me your father from now on." _Hold on, WHAT!? This… This guy is gonna adopt me right off the bat? No objection? NOTHING!?_ He could tell I was shocked, but he smiled anyway

"Well... What's your wife gonna say to a homeless 17-year old that suddenly appeared in your mansion because of your optimistic son? N-Not to be rude... " I asked him because really, who would adopt someone of my age?

"If I were to be completely honest with you, she'd be happy to have another son since me and her can't make another." _Fraternity problems I take it…_

"Yes, we have trouble making a baby Nathan. Smart ain't you?" _He knew!? But then again he is a Lucario_. A Lucario with an apron who can cook and read your thoughts thanks to his aura powers or whatever, yeah sounds about right. Makes me wonder why he needs people to cook for him when he can do it himself.

"You boys better head up to bed soon, it's getting dark." Wow, time flies fast when whatever this is happening.

"Oh yeah, it's getting pretty late Nathan. I can give you a whole tour of the humble abode I call home tomorrow. Since my mom isn't here right now and won't be for another 3 days, we're gonna be fine until my dad manages to contact her. So let's hit the hay!"

I guess it is huh? Aedan lead me inside to the main foyer where a grand set of staircases would take us to the second floor. These are where all the rooms were for everyone, and to make sure you remember which is which, there are these sort of emblems emblazoned on the doorway that signifies what the room is for. The bathroom had a soap bar emblem, while the master bedroom had a bed with a crown on it as an emblem. Aedan's bedroom had a bed with a fire symbol as the emblem. I guess this where I'll be sleeping for however long i'll be staying here. Aedan opened the door to reveal a moderately sized room that had two beds _thank Arceus_ and several other pieces of furniture. There was a couch and a flat screen t.v. _of course_ and a console **(I won't say the brand because of friggin copyright issues)** that had several games on it. As well as two portable gaming systems. A closet that I supposed had Aedan's clothing and whatever else he owns. Aedan opened it to bring out two pajamas, he tossed one to me. I looked at it and… He's kidding right? I looked at him with a glare

"What? C'mon it'll look great on you!" he said, "Aedan I'm not going to wear something with 'LOVER BOY' stitched on to it." Not to mention the color was pink, my least favorite color.

"Fine… I'll wear it then! Here you have this boring one, and take off your jacket and whatever else you have on. Including your underwear~" He looked at me seductively, while I simply froze before him. I simply shook my head and immediately denied that request.

"Sigh, fine just take off your jacket and what not. But you should probably put these on either way. Y'know something comfortable after all those hard nights of yours." He gave me a pair of underwear for me to put on, I excused myself to go to the bathroom to change. The instant I got there, I locked the door. I had a feeling Flint wanted more than a peek, weirdo… I zipped down my dusty and wet jacket and took it off, following where my dirty jeans and tattered shirt. Now I felt like I wanted to take a shower, lucky for me, there were towels aplenty in a shelf next to the shower. I put all my dirty clothes in the hamper and proceeded to take my underwear off. I stepped into the shower and turned the nozzle, I felt the hot water press against my skin, it felt so pleasurable after the things I've been through. All the dirt I had on me washed away in an instant, all my pains felt like they were being lifted from my shoulders. Everything was so soothing. The shampoo in my hair, to the soap and even the bubbles felt like heaven. I turned the nozzle to shut it off, the water leaked towards the bottom into the drain. I stepped out and instantly grabbed my towel, drying myself off never felt so damn soft. I put the damp towel in the hamper to make sure I didn't leave it on the floor. Grabbing the extra pair of underwear, I put them on as well as putting on the pajamas. I felt at bliss as of now. I walked back to the room only to get glomped by Aedan.

"LOVE HUG!" he shouted, this is going to happen a lot, isn't it?

"C'mon Nathan! Look more excited! After all, you're going to live here with me as my sibling! I think… Or are you just staying here either way? I'm not too sure… But you still get to live here!" Well, that's… Considerate. He jumped onto his bed and landed with satisfaction, he looked comfy, even though he could possibly burn the thing. Which to my surprise, his tail didn't light anything on fire. I laid down on my bed and pulled the covers over my chest. The mattress felt like a cloud, with the pillows feeling like something softer than a cloud, maybe an angel's wings… The covers feeling silky smooth and felt like every cliche of soft. I almost fell asleep if it wasn't for something or rather someone sneaking into my bed. _Wha-? What is he doing now!?_

"Ahh, much better. I feel more secure with you for some reason. I can actually sleep now heh." I wanted to say something, but he already fell asleep before I could even list an outburst. The guy was lucky this bed is queen sized. But, now I can't get him off either way, he was latching on to me as if I was his mom or something. It… actually felt sorta nice. Now I'm falling for his charismatic charm aren't I? But then again, better me being here then I am on the streets about to die. I could feel my eyelids slowly closing, I guess there was no way of getting him to go to his own bed. I can't really complain since he was really warm too. I guess this is goodnight

"Well… Goodnight Aedan, and… Thank you"

 **(FINALLY, this took me a long time of looking up the right names and coming up with certain scenarios. But either way, now I can finally upload this… and wait a whole two months for the next upload -w-)**


	2. Two new friends, one experience

I awoke to see Aedan gone from my bed, his comforting flame gone from my oh so cold body. I guess he must've gone ahead and went somewhere else, meaning he woke up earlier then I did. But if that were so, then where is he right now? If anything, I'd assume he's downstairs in the dining room eating whatever his maid or dad cooked him. Speaking of which, Aedan's dad, he must be one heck of a cook to make cheeseburgers like the one I ate. I wonder what else he can make other than something greasy. My thoughts were soon cut off by the smell of something good, something baking, something like pancakes. I got up from the bed, still dressed in pajamas, and found another pair of clothing for me to put on. It was a rather fancy pair of shorts coated in white, next to it was a… pink polo shirt. Real funny Aedan, I had nothing else to put on, so I grabbed the pair of clothing and went straight to the bathroom.

I took off my pajamas and put on the freshly ironed clothing. They felt very warm, but not in the way Aedan felt like when he slept with me. I don't know why I'm comparing clothing to him but, oh well. I exited the bathroom and headed towards the dining room, Aedan was already sitting on one chair with a plate of three pancakes and some slices of bacon. His father appeared out of the kitchen doors and came with two plates of pancakes and bacon. One for me and one for him. I sat down in a chair that had a Leaf imprint on its cushion. The carving on the top also seemed to be a tree. I guess this chair was specially made for me or something. But then again I see a carving of water and fire on two other chairs, so Aedan must have other friends that are meaningful to him. The plate of pancakes was given to me, I saw three layers of pancakes and 4 slices of artificially made bacon. It sounded disgusting in concept, but in reality, it actually was quite delicious. I sliced my three pancakes into separate pieces. I poured some syrup on them and spread a stick of butter on all the slices. I finally grabbed my fork and grabbed a piece, eating the thing was just as good as eating the cheeseburger yesterday. The fluffiness of the pancake could be described as anything but hard, it was spongy and just super sweet. The syrup and the butter complementing it perfectly well, I could feel a mix of emotions going into my stomach, sooner or later I could gain a couple pounds. Which by this point is good for me. I grabbed a slice of bacon and ate it, the entire slice, the whole experience of just tasting it was amazing. This mansion's cooking could easily rival the Striaton City gyms fine cuisine, something usually unheard of.

I finished the rest of my pancake, but I had no idea what to do with syrup slathered mess of a plate I had left. Before I could even ask, a maid grabbed the finished plate from out of nowhere. It startled me just a bit. This maid seemed to be like a Mienshao, at least that's what I saw for literal seconds before she disappeared into the kitchen. I looked at Aedan who seemed to be watching me eat for several minutes. I sighed, knowing this guy was oblivious to how I could ever possess the knowledge that the breakfast would be that good.

"It's good ain't it?" he asked. "Well, it's certainly something that could rival yesterday's cheeseburger experience…" He looked at me with a stupid grin on his face. He seemed to be glad that I was glad for a whole day like yesterday. Then he suddenly looked at me with a surprised look on his face.

"I didn't mean to put you on the spot already but, my best friends are coming over for a sleepover!" he said with an excited look on his face. Yep, this was something to behold, this guy, without thinking of what I would be like in front of his friends, decides to invite them over first thing tomorrow. If it wasn't for him being so damn nice, I would've gone back to the same alley I was in… No, actually, I wouldn't. I guess this is sorta good for me, it would certainly help me become less of an introvert. I looked at Aedan, he was still smiling with that stupid grin. Eerily infectious I might add. I wonder what his friends are like, worst case scenario, they turn out to be huge snobs. But hey, this one turned out to be more humble.

"Well, I don't mind too much… I-I guess…" this seems to have made him all the happier. Still, to think someone like him just came out of nowhere and gave me a second chance. It's legendary.

"Great! They're already on their way here bud! I'm sure you guys will get along just fine. Oh, and by the way, they're going to be sleeping in my bed. So guess who's gonna sleep with you again~!" he said with a tune. Another night having to snuggle up with him, it is getting closer to fall, not to mention Jubilife City isn't exactly the warmest of places.

"So, what are we gonna do for today with your friends?" I asked. He looked at me with an even more excited look. Someone seems to be hyper…

"Well! First off, all of us are gonna get to know each other by playing some video games! Then we're going to go to the boardwalk towards Canalave City! I hear there's some sort of mythical beast there. Then afterward, we're coming back here for some lunch and play some more video games. Finally, we'll end this awesome day with a trip to my Dad's observatory, we can get an awesome view of the night sky from there!" sounds like he has this whole day planned from the very beginning. But it does sound fun, and I can get to know his friends which is a plus.

In the distance, I heard a doorbell, company of the rich man has arrived. With that note, Aedan hopped out of the chair with his tail behind him surprisingly not lighting everything on fire. So this whole house is fireproof huh? Out the door he went, I looked from a nearby window to see two other male Pokemon that appear to be Aedan's age. From what I saw, they were also starter Pokemon, one was a Marshtomp dressed in black and white flannel with jeans on, and the other was a Quilava with what appeared to be a white shirt and a jacket, as well as beige pants. Both carried some luggage with what I assume are their clothes. They both greeted Aedan with open arms and overall seem to be pretty laid back. Well at least the Marshtomp was, he seemed pretty casual like he has no cares or any worries. The Quilava seemed to be a bit more on the formal side, he stood upright and shook Aedan's hand with a glove. Guess he's probably a bit of a germaphobe. They all started walking towards the entrance giving me little time to prepare myself. I wanted to make a good first impression, I didn't want to leave any sour notes. The door opened, and three rich Pokemon made their way through.

"I see little has changed here Aedan, except for one brand new servant I assume?" the Quilava spoke. He was looking at me with a bit of disgust, well... that's one person I just automatically made enemies with by not saying a single thing. Or at least he would've been if not for the Marshstomp who spoke saying,

"Ah c'mon Dylan! You're making the poor thing look guilty for something he couldn't complain about. Don't worry little guy, Dylan here is just a wee bit uptight." the Marshtomp spoke. I liked this guy a bit more.

"You're in no place to talk, Mr. 'I can show up at any time I want.', you're very lucky I managed to wake you up in time Leo!" So both of their names are Dylan and Leo, good to know.

"You two need to kiss already… Anyways, this is my new brother or something like that. His name is Nathan! Or if you want to be formal, *cough DYLAN*." "I heard that Aedan."

"You weren't supposed to not hear it. Hehe, anyways, this Nathaniel Lawrence!" he told the two.

"Um… If you please, I would prefer if you would just call me Nathan… B-But that's your decision so.." I made myself sound so weak in comparison to Aedan. My whole body felt tense, meanwhile, someone else looks perfectly fine.

"Aedan, you are SO lucky. You managed to snag a really cute fella. Nothing that Dylan can't beat though…" Leo spoke. He put his arm around Dylan and tried to bring him in for a kiss. Only to get shoved away.

"Excuse me? Do NOT try to make me your lover suddenly! Pardon him, he's a half-wit with little intelligence on something called the atmosphere." He doesn't seem to make the situation any better though. But why did Leo say Aedan _snagged_ me? He can't be suggesting that… Nope, nu uh. Not happening. I looked at Aedan only to see him looking back at me with an embarrassed look on his face. It's almost as if he agreed with Leo. Sweet Arceus help me…

"Anyways, C'mon! Let's go to my room! I have a certain video game that'll allow us to know each other a bit better. Mainly because we have a newcomer to the scene!" and with that, everyone walked upstairs from the main foyer to Aedan's room. I walked with them not wanting to be left behind in such a big place. We arrived at his door, I wonder where his dad is... Opening the door, we all went inside. Aedan went into his closet to bring out 5 video games that would help us get to "know each other". One of them looked like a party game, two looked like fighting games, the other two were some sort of quiz like games. Dylan reached for the party game, while Leo reached for the quiz game. The two were about to argue which game to play first, but Aedan shut the two down by picking the other quiz game titled "Do you Dare?". A truth or dare game… how cliche… We could just as easily do this in our world. But then again, computer generated questions, I wonder what they were. Aedan booted up his console and inserted the disk, the main menu appeared before our eyes. He selected 4 players to play, and the game immediately started up. It first chose Dylan, Truth or Dare? Dylan chose Truth, almost as if he knew something terrible would happen if he chose dare.

"Is it true, that despite his/her appearance, you are in love with someone in this very room?" Dylan looked shocked and a bit muddled. He definitely wasn't expecting something like this, he pressed A. Meaning yes, it was true that his love was somewhere here. I doubt it's me, and although his fondness of Aedan is a thing, he doesn't seem to be attached to him. That only left… Leo looked at Dylan, he himself was a bit embarrassed but shrugged it off.

"It's just a game Dyll, don't worry your little head off." Leo tried calming him with a tone similar to Aedan's. Dylan looked a bit less stressed out about this question. It was Aedan's turn, he chose dare to break the atmosphere. There were ooh's coming from Leo while Dylan just smiled.

"Dare! Whoever is player 3, will control your actions from now on!" sighing Aedan passed up his controller to Dylan.

"Now my time in-game is gonna be boring." he didn't even hold back on that. "Now, now, I will make sure that isn't TOO boring for his highness," said Dylan in reply. Hitting A on Aedan's controller, the game now passed on to me. Without thinking, I selected Dare,

"Dare! Flirt with Player 1!" Of course, out of all the things it could've told me what to do, it immediately chose something that I wouldn't ever dream of doing. I wasn't even interested in Aedan, now I have to flirt with him just to complete a stupid dare? I looked up at Leo and Dylan, both seemed to be astonished, I saw Aedan blushing but still smiling. There was simply no way to make this any less awkward is there? Before I could even speak, Leo had taken the disc out of the console and inserted what appeared to be the fighting game.

"Y'know what? Forget all that dare crap, let's just get to know each other, fighting style!" Aedan simply nodded his head,

"For once I can agree that we play something else other than that stupid game only you love playing Aedan." Aedan looked up in offense "Well EXCUSE ME, Dylan! We all have something we like that others don't like? Right Nathan?"

"A-Actually, I'm with Dylan on this one… S-Sorry." Aedan groaned with a displeased look on his face. "Fine, but I get to be Greninja!" "You always choose Greninja, why don't you ever go with something different?" asked Leo.

"Well Luke, it begins with something called experience-" "We don't need several minutes for you to explain that the character is your quote on quote main," Dylan responded.

With that, we all went ahead and selected our characters. This game looked similar to the one I used to play at an arcade. Leo chose Lucario. Dylan went with Mewtwo, probably something to do with him being uptight. As he claimed to, Aedan chose Greninja, finally, I chose Pikachu. Something about this character speaks out to me, so I picked him. We all voted for a stage to play on, the stage was set in Lumiose city. With that, we duked it out.

Dylan tried aiming a Shadow Ball at Leo, but Leo somehow managed to deflect the attack and with one last hit, threw Dylan off the stage. With a bump and a bit of cursing, Dylan was out. Leo then tried attacking me, I dodged and smashed his character, sending him flying, I finished him off with a thunder attack. Leo was taken back a bit, he was certainly surprised at this sudden skill. It was down to Aedan and I, he charged with his Water Shuriken, I dodged and went in with a dash attack. It landed and the Greninja fell back a bit, I smacked it with my tail and jumped to finish it off. But it used Hydro Pump to push itself back onto the stage, I got caught on it and failed to hit it. Aedan made a dash for me and tried swinging his water like swords at me, I managed to dodge and counter-attacked by grabbing his character and throwing it sideways. I finally got to finish him off with a thunder. With that, I turned out to be victorious.

"Woah… and Aedan usually wins these things. You've got something real special!" spoke Leo, I looked at Aedan, he looked soulless. Then all I could hear was a tiny giggle from him, who is this guy?

"Wow! And I didn't even hold back! You're amazing at this Nathan! A true natural!" Dylan looked at me in agreeance. Leo gave me a thumbs up, I felt rather nice. My face turned red for a bit and I just overall felt something I haven't before. All this praise from both sides, I didn't expect it from two rich teens. It was something to behold, and I loved every single second of it, these compliments just make me feel all the more special for something I barely even tried on. We all decided to go for another round, and then another.

"Now that we've found Nathan's amazing skills at this fighting game, we don't we pack up and go to the Boardwalk towards Canalave City?" Dylan stood up "Hold on dear sport, look at the time." We all turned our heads towards the clock on the cable box, it was currently 5:00 in the afternoon. Wow, how long have we been playing?

"Don't you remember the rule?" Aedan looked down in sadness, I was shocked, this is the first time I've ever seen him look sad. I leaned towards Leo to ask him

"What rule is Dylan talking about?" "Well, it was put into action when Aedan was 7 years old, he doesn't really like to talk about it too much. But he's not allowed outside of the mansion at 5:00 till morning"

This rule… it didn't seem all that fair, why would you limit your kid to specific hours of when you're not allowed to go out? I didn't question it too much, however, as Aedan seems to be upset at this topic. So, for now, I decided to let the whole question of what this rule was go. But what did that leave us to do? We can't go to the Boardwalk, and we're out of ideas. That is until I came up with one.

"Hey Aedan, y-you never did show me what those attic steps were. Why don't we explore those?" Aedan looked up at me with a glow on his face, I just might have solved this entire solution of "what will we do?".

"You're right Nathan! How bout we all go? Even I don't know what's up there." that doesn't exactly help, but it was certainly something. Everyone smiled and agreed. We have something to do for some amount of time. We all walked out of the room, I left last so I could turn off the console. I caught up with the group nearby the Kitchen doors. We all lined up to see the attic stairs above us leading to nothing but darkness. We could barely even see the top, suddenly the air feels a lot more eerie and thick. Aedan took the first step, but couldn't muster the courage to take another step. Dylan tried walking all the way by closing his eyes, but the instant he opened them, he came running back down. Leo was the only one who would be brave enough to make it all the way to the top. He flicked on the light switch and illuminate the stairs. Now we could all climb the stairs without fear of the darkness.

We eventually reached the top of a pretty dusty old place, but it seemed to be like a family room. With a hideaway bed couch, and more things for the family to enjoy. There seemed to be some dolls in a toy chest that looks like it hasn't been open for centuries. We all looked around the place some more with awe in our eyes. We never expected a dark place to turn out somewhat historic. Dylan looked at a bed with dust spread all over it, he seemed to be interested in the pattern it had. Truth be told, the pattern was a bit odd and out of place, It looked somewhat familiar though. Leo had been looking athe number of paperweights that were strewn about on the coffee table. They all had a unique glimmer and color to them, he took them and put them in his pockets.

"Hey guys! You NEED to see this!" Aedan beckoned us forward. We all stopped what we were doing and walked towards his voice. We saw his bright flame in the distance, Aedan looked at us with a radiance rivaling that of Cresselia. He clearly wanted to show us something important, or maybe he was just pranking us all. We all came to what he was talking about, there was a balcony for the attic. We all stepped out onto the balcony to see what it holds. There was beach chairs and several things needed for a balcony. But most importantly, the reason why Aedan asked us to follow his lead, was because of this breathtaking view of the ocean. We all saw the ocean in the distance with the sun starting to set, it was a beautiful sight. The sunlight reflected it's colors of the ocean and gave it even more beauty than it already had. The vibrant colors spread across the sky and came together to form the ball of gas that was the sun. Everything about this moment was perfect, I looked to the others, they too seemed mesmerized by the stunning sight. Everyone was leaning on the fence taking their time to see this ever so amazing view of nature at it's finest. If this is what sunset was like at Aedan's house, then their is more than one benefit of being adopted by his parents.

"Y'know… When I think about it, the fact that Nathan is here to witness this with me. It makes me even happier." Aedan said. It made me happy to see him like this, everyone looked at him and smiled. We all stayed silent as we watched the sun finally set and let the moon come up.

"Who needs the observatory when you have this view? I could spend hours up here." Ironic considering we kinda did spend an hour up here. It was already 7:00.

"Yes but, if we are to go to the boardwalk, we must rest earlier than usual I assume," Dylan announced. He was right, we want all the time in the world if we wanted to explore such a thing.

"Is that your way of saying ' _Oh please sleep with me already Leo'_ eh?" Dylan punched Leo in the arm for even thinking of saying that. Meanwhile the laid-back Marshtomp tried hugging the strict Quilava. Surprisingly enough, Dylan didn't hit him for doing so. Instead, he blushed and was looking away from his face.

"Alright, you two, we're going to bed now. So you've got all the time to cuddle up there." Dylan looked even more embarrassed at this statement and buried his face into his hand. _Poor guy_. He started walking downstairs to go sleep, Leo walked after him with a grin on his face that read "I'm gonna get some someday." I can see why Dylan doesn't like to be around him too much. Especially if he was to make a first impression. I looked at Aedan with a smile on my face. He looked back and smiled as well. This Monferno was somebody I could definitely love, wait… Love? Maybe not that…

"C'mon Nathan, let's go to bed." with that, we went towards his room. First, all of us except for Leo put on an a pair of pajamas. Finally we all crawled into our ever so comfy beds made by angels. Aedan snuggled up closely to me, I turned around not wanting to breathe on him. That's when I felt someone grab me from behind, and that someone won't ever let me go until morning.

Sigh… Aedan, you're such a dope… Heh… Good night… Dearest friend...


	3. One event after another

The scene I had awoken to was… strange, to say the least. It was around 6 in the morning when I woke up. I've never been able to sleep past 8 o'clock, mostly because of the condition I was in. I had grown accustomed to it, it's going to be hard getting past it. But that's not important, what was important is that both Dylan and Leo were gone. I got up out of the ever so comfy bed while trying not to wake Aedan up. Being stealthy was my natural skill, it has its uses for many situations. I looked over at the bed the two were sharing, it was completely empty. In fact, I didn't see a trace of them anywhere. Where could those two have gone…?

I couldn't do anything about it for now, so I simply crawled my way back into bed. It didn't take me long until I realized I had slipped my way into Aedan's grasp. Sigh… Why didn't I just go to sleep in the _OTHER_ bed?

 **\- *9 A.M. In the Dining Room -**

2 hours of waiting, and they finally show up for breakfast. Out from the kitchen corridor came the two Pokémon we were expecting. They both looked a bit tired and exhausted. I could even see marks that were left by the sun on Leo's arm. I'm not sure what they were doing, nor do I even want to know, but at the very least they showed up.

"What happened to you two? And why were you gone for a whole hour?" I asked. They both looked at me with a sleepy gaze. "Well… I wanted to show Dylan the sunrise from the attic. You know, to make another good experience." Leo said with some minor hesitation in his voice. Clearly something other than watching the sunrise happened in that old space. I decided not to go any further and tried to change the subject.

"Aedan probably won't be happy you didn't wake the both of us up for that experience," Leo chuckled and smiled. _Guess that was enough to change the atmosphere_ I thought.

"Yeah, you're right! Hehe, that guy's a sucker for making positive memories," yeah, Aedan does seem to be the kind of person to enjoy anything, even more when he has company. Speaking of company…

"Uh… Where's Aedan's dad? Do you know?" Leo immediately frowned. I looked at Dylan, who was still being silent. At the same time, he had a pleading look that wanted to move past the question.

"Well… let's just say he's… busy," I noticed that he didn't want to fully explain yet another detail about something that I don't know about. I didn't want to continue this whole line of questioning and make the both of them feel uncomfortable. I heard my stomach growl, as did Leo's and Dylan's.

"Ok then, so what about Breakfast? What are we having?" Leo then realized that he was really hungry. "I'm hoping for something like… Falafel Sandwiches!" that doesn't sound like breakfast… But who am I to judge? I spent an eternity having soup for breakfast… Dylan looked at Leo with disgust. Oh boy…

"Harumph! Falafel for breakfast? I've told you time and time again that we do not eat such things at the most important time of the morning!" Leo was smiling again, so all it took for Dylan to talk was just having falafel for breakfast. Which by this point in time sounded more appetizing then whatever Dylan was thinking of.

"Ah c'mon, you know they're good!" Dylan once again scoffed and said "For the last time, we are NOT going to eat that for breakfast ever in our lifetime! Do you not remember the previous experience I had with falafel at 7 in the morning?" Leo started laughing, I was smiling and chuckling too.

"It's not my fault you didn't know they weren't cooked yet, you've brought your own disaster upon yourself." Dylan's flames started lighting up, signifying his anger. I made sure to stay as far away from him, I'm no firefighter.

"I came down with a stomach bug for a whole week! I've had to suffer two hours of pure torment from constantly being in the bathroom!" Eugh… I can imagine how that would be… It's enough to make ME puke…

"Again, that was your own fault! Don't try to blame it on me your graciousness," at that moment we both burst out laughing. I couldn't hold in the giggles I had any longer, I was smiling and having the chortles so much that it hurt.

"Hey you guys! Did I miss something really funny?" Without warning, I was glomped by the person who wouldn't let me go when I slept. Aedan nearly tackled me to the floor from the force of that hug alone. He let go of me and looked at Leo, but instead of asking about what he's been doing with Dylan, he simply grinning saying

"Were you talking about Dylan having that stomach bug again?" how did-?! You know what, forget it. He's been friends with them long enough, so I guess he knows all about that little conundrum Dylan always hates talking about.

"Aedan, you must know how terrible it was for me. Constantly having to worry every two seconds about whether or not I will release my just eaten lunch. I suffered for a terrible amount of time, and yet you three find it amusing?!" his flame started to increase in size. I was getting

even more nervous about catching fire.

"Now now! Don't try to set anything on fire with those flames of yours! Dylan, I'm sure Leo didn't mean anything by joking about that whole 'incident'," Dylan only seemed to be calming down because someone reasonable had finally come into the room. But his anger wasn't fully extinguished. He pointed at Leo, and made a gesture signifying to go outside. He nodded with a smirk on his face, knowing fully well what was about to happen. The two walked past the kitchen corridor and went straight to the courtyard. Aedan and I followed soon after.

"Do you know where they're going?" "Yeah, if Leo ever goes too far with a joke, Dylan usually challenges him to a battle to settle things," it didn't really sound smart. Especially considering who has the huge type advantage.

We walked out to the courtyard and spotted the two going inside some sort of stadium. A stadium… I was starting to question what else Aedan's parents/family owned beyond their mansion. He walked towards the stadium, which upon closer inspection, it looked more like a gym. Wait… Is that a Pokémon center? We walked towards the center and found what appeared to be a fence blocking our entrance in. It didn't take long to find a gate, as we opened it, I saw a Quilava and a Marshtomp already on the battle courtyard. They were taking their places and getting ready for a 1 on 1 duel. Aedan and I quickly ran to the courtyard to try and spectate for as long as we could.

Soon as we sat down on the nearby benches, the fight began. Dylan got the first move out and quickly started rushing Leo with a Flame Charge. Leo dodged out of the way and jumped in the air to use Mud-Slap, barely missing Dylan. Before he could get on the ground, Dylan once again tried going for a Flame Charge, this time it was a direct hit. Leo took a fair amount of damage, but he didn't even wince from the flames. He took a moment to breath out, then immediately shot a blast of water at Dylan. Dylan had no time to react, he was hit by the Water Gun and was badly hurt. But he was still kicking, he started dashing once again. Leo was getting ready to dodge the next attack. However, instead of a Flame Charge, it was a Flamethrower. Leo couldn't move out of the way, he was burned. The two were on their last traces of HP. Standing a distance away from each other, they just simply stared, waiting for the opponent to make a move. Before Leo could charge up another Water Gun, Leo was already coming in hot. Literally. He was simply too fast this time, Flame Charge had built up his speed to the point where his evasiveness was far superior. He reached Leo within no short amount of time and tackled him to the ground. What we didn't expect, was Leo had already gotten his attacked prepared. By the time Dylan had tackled Leo, he was blown away by a Whirlpool. The battle was over, Leo had won.

"*cough* *cough* H-How? When did you have time to… learn… THAT?" Leo grinned a boastful kind of grin. "Well… " before he could even start, I abruptly said

"Whirlpool is an egg move for Marshtomp, meaning he must've learned it as he grew up. I think he also might've just been born with the move too," everyone looked at me with a pretty stunned look. Except for Leo, who was probably going to explain it anyway.

"Now you have made me all the more curious Nathan… How do YOU know something as specific as that?" all eyes were on me. Yeah, it was pretty weird for me to know that off the top of my head. I faintly remember something about studying moves, I'm not sure when it happened.

"I think I studied it when I was in school," speaking of school… "Wait, do any of you go to highschool at all?"

"No, we were homeschooled and taught many valuable works of knowledge. We don't know why our parents didn't let us attend a public school. We never even went to a private school either," Dylan explained. So they were homeschooled… But their parents didn't let them attend any kind of school or campus? What level of overprotectiveness do you have to be when you don't want your kid to learn anything in a public building? I don't think I wanted to know the answer. Once again, my stomach growled, yearning for sustenance. Or however the saying goes. Aedan laughed, as his growled too. Pretty soon, everyone was hungry.

"I guess we all got a bit worked up their huh? C'mon guys! Let's head back and eat something, I'm starving!" Dylan and Leo nodded their heads in agreement. We all walked back towards the mansion, hoping to grab whatever it is they were serving.

 **\- *11:00 AM in Aedan's bedroom -**

Ahh… the feeling of a warm shower never gets old. My body was once again cleansed and felt ready for action. Although I still had the taste of a crepe in my mouth. But who am I to complain? They were fantastic in flavor and just felt great once I had eaten them. Even though Aedan was getting yet again another kick out of it… I digress, breakfast has passed, and now is the time for… something other than lounging around in bed I guess.

I opened the door to Aedan's bedroom, seeing Dylan and Leo already in robes and playing that fighter game that I somehow won the other time. I remember something similar happening in the news, something about a Riolu named Tim or whatever… I could honestly care less about gaming competitions. I don't really think I'd want to participate, since I don't really have much knowledge about any of the games they play anyhow. Plus, it'd be pretty tiring having to constantly move from one place to another. All to play a video game for a trophy and some bragging rights. They both looked away from the screen and saw me, also in a robe.

"Well, looks like Nathan is the unlucky one this time around," huh? I had no idea what he was talking about. "He means your robe color," I looked down and noticed my robe was the color… pink… Sigh, I swear someday I'm going to get tired of this.

"No big deal, sides, it's just a color. Nothing too special about the color pink," actually yes their was. Pink, just wasn't my color. It doesn't really match my green fur as much as red does. Or any other color for that matter.

"Come now, I won this round anyhow. You can play with us, just grab the controller over there on the countertop," I thanked Dylan, grabbing the controller and sitting on the couch next to them. They were already going to start the match, just waiting on me to pick my character. Before I could even think of choosing Pikachu, Aedan came in, slamming the door behind him in excitement. Then, he pointed at me and said,

"This time, you won't win with that extensive knowledge of yours!" he clearly wanted to beat me, as did the other two. Guess I have a reputation to keep up with.

Aedan grabbed a controller and picked his character, this time it was a Blaziken. He swapped characters, knowing that I probably won't know what's coming to me. Dylan and Leo did the same, with Leo picking Greninja and Dylan picking Charizard. I decided not to use Pikachu this time. Instead, I went with Sceptile. Then the game started…

 **\- *11:45 Aedan's room -**

"C'mon! Just one more try! Please!" "I already said no Aedan, you must know when to quit," by this point in time, Aedan just desperately wanted one win against me. Unfortunate for him, each and every single match we had already played, I always ended up winning. Even if he had choses a different character, I still kept on winning. I was already tired from the last 13 rounds of "rematches".

"But! How does he keep on winning?! He's championship material!" No… I probably wasn't. Nor did I really want to be. "C'mon dude, we all know that he's had plenty of experience whooping everyone anyone who challenged him," This was getting old fast…

"Can we just play something else? Or are we gonna continue arguing?" I said. Dylan nodded in agreement saying "Nathan is right, we mustn't fight over something so miniscule," Aedan was cornered. He couldn't do anything to win in this situation at all.

"Alright… fine… " Wait a sec… he's thinking something bad isn't he? "I have an Idea! How about, at night we all go and sleep in the attic?" well I was right about one thing.

"Is this just a ruse so Nathan can lose at something you can win at?" Aedan replied back nervously saying "N-No no! It's so we can all see the stars at night!" that didn't sound so bad. But I've never been easy to fool, I know something is off here.

"Ok, so is everyone in?" Dylan nodded, Leo gave a simple thumbs up, and I said yes.

"Then it's settled! Tonight, we're going to the attic to stargaze!" something about that didn't sit right. But hey, it's another moment of being able to see something really beautiful. Why the heck not?

"First though, we need my dad's permission… Which is gonna be tough," Aedan's dad… I haven't gotten to know him yet, I just hope that we don't have a bad time together.

I looked back at Leo and Dylan, they both knew it was going to be difficult getting the permission of apparently what is supposed to be an overprotective father. I had a feeling it was going to be even more than difficult however, trying to sleep up in the attic by ourselves. For now, the least we could do was ask.

"So, where is your father anyway?" Aedan paused and thought to himself for a moment. "Well… he should be out of work by an hour or so," Odd… the last time I saw Aedan's father was around the first time I had met him. I don't remember seeing him the morning I met Aedan's friends either. I don't even remember seeing him all day yesterday, how long did his work take him to finish up? Where did he even work anyway? All of these questions, aren't going to be answered by the time he gets home aren't they?

"Well… in the meantime, why don't we just play another game?" Leo said. He pulled out the fighting game and inserted what appeared to be some sort of party game. I had a feeling my luck of winning would soon run out.

"Hm, I would rather go for another game, but this one works just as well. On the bright side, we do not have to listen to Aedan constantly berating our ears over Nathan winning," "Hey!" we all started laughing a bit. Dylan and Leo successfully managed to make the situation a bit more light hearted. I really do appreciate them being here. Before Dylan could insert the disk into the console, we heard the front entrance open.

"Aedan! I'm home!" looks like we wouldn't be able to do much any longer. Aedan's dad has arrived.


	4. The Lakefront

**\- *12 A.M. Main Foyer -**

There he was, standing right before us. Aedan's dad had finally come home. I almost forgot what Darrell looked like, hell, I nearly forgot his own name. But there he was, a Lucario with, oddly enough, no spikes on his abdomen or anywhere on his body. Generally, you would see these spikes on normal Lucario, but I think Darrell might be a special case. Pretty sure there was some other guy that had the same problem, don't remember who he was though. Probably someone who's just as shy as I am at times.

Darrell looked at us from down the staircase and smiled. I noticed something had stained his seemingly stainless white shirt, it appeared to be something red… I just hope it's not what I think it is. Before I could get any other looks, he walked towards us saying

"Ah! I see you're playing with your two other friends! Are they being nice to Nathan?" before Aedan could answer, I did it for him. "Yes, Mr O'Leary. Dylan and Luke have been rather nice. I think I became their friend yesterday," Darrell smiled at me, something about him seems a bit off… although, he's the father of someone who found a homeless orphan. Can't really be suspicious of him for that, wait… yeah I can.

"Uh, Dad? I was wondering…" Aedan began, "No, you can't use your toys on him Aedan. The boy is inexperienced!" Aedan groaned with a look of embarrassment on his face. _Wait, his toys?_

"Dad!" he groaned, "Not that! I was going to ask you if we could spend a night in the attic… you know, so we can see the stars from up there," Darrell thought about it for a couple of seconds, and then finally came to a conclusion.

"Alright, if it's for one night, then I think you boys can spend the night up there," Aedan was bursting with glee. This might be the first time his dad has ever let him done something beyond his view. We all had a breath of relief, we weren't sure that Aedan's dad would let him even think about spending a night up in a dark place he hadn't been to in literal years.

He then starting walking towards what I assumed was the kitchen, he called out to us saying "If you need me! Call the maid! I'll be downstairs in the family room," _a family room… I wonder what goes on in there…_ I thought to myself. Aedan shouted an ok and dragged us towards the attic. We practically flew past the kitchen and went directly up the stairs and turned on the light. The place looked as dusty as it would've been when we left it, but something seemed a bit odd about it. I don't know who it was, but I think that someone had moved the bed from its original position in the middle of the room to the far side of the room near the small circular window. The bed also looked to have been dented a bit, I wonder…

"Wait, so can we like go back about those toys your dad mentioned Aedan?" Leo suddenly asked. Surprisingly, Aedan wasn't red all over. Instead, he had a horrified expression on his face. Like he was the witness of the world's most brutal death.

"It's… nothing! Nothing at all! Hehe!" he giggled nervously. Everyone knew that he was lying under his teeth. It couldn't have been more obvious.

"Well… what about you two? What have you and Dylan been up to for the past two hours?" He looked over at Leo, who had several sweat drops all over his forehead. Leo thought about it for a second, almost like he forgot what he'd been doing.

"Oh, um… we were… watching the sun set. That's all, I think... " Leo didn't sound all too convincing. His tone had the same amount of nervousness as Aedan's. He probably wasn't all too confident in himself either. Though then again, he didn't seem embarrassed. He looked really tired, most likely the two had been up all morning doing something.

"But before that, we simply went to the Observatory and spent some of our dedicated time there. Then we came to the attic and… well… we caused a bit of a mess," Dylan said eeying Leo. _I wonder who could've been the culprit behind that mess…_

"I wanted to find this one relic I suddenly remembered about, didn't take long until I ended up spilling something on me. Not sure what it is either, but Dylan slipped on it and accidently scratched me," Leo spilled something? But I don't see any marks or traces of any liquid on the floor or on the furniture. Although I doubt Dylan isn't one to be overly cautious. From what I've seen, he looks to be the cleanest person among us.

"What's this 'relic' you wanted to find? And why did you think it was up here?" asked Aedan. "It's a pendant, one that was gifted to us by my own parents when Leo was brought in," Brought in? Wait, does that mean Leo at one point used to be in the same situation as I was? I can't imagine how long it's been for him, or how hard it was. That is, if he had a similar experience to mine. He looked just as old as I am, I doubt he had any rough times in his past if he was this laidback.

"Oh… wait, a pendant? I swear I saw something similar around here somewhere…" if he was right, then we may have a clue as to where this item is. "Aedan, where exactly did you see something like our dear pendant?" Aedan thought about it for a moment, he looked around the room searching for any hint of what he saw. Then, he gasped. Before we could even question him, he ran over to one of the nearby closets and opened it. Scouring for anything looking similar to a pendant. Closing the closet, Aedan brought over a small locked chest that looked like it was made for containing jewelry. He came over to us and opened it right before our eyes.

Inside the tiny box, were two gleaming silver pendants; both in the shape of half a heart. They looked like they could connect. I glanced at the two Pokemon before me. Dylan had tears in his eyes, something I thought I wouldn't ever see. Leo had a smile upon his face with a relaxed look. He too, was on the verge of tears.

They each took a part of the silver pendant. Upon closer look, I noticed a pattern on both of the pieces. One was an emblem of fire, the other, a raindrop. The emblems also had their own respective colors that shined in the morning sun. A glistening, deep and beautiful shade of blue. A bright and elegant red shone on the other piece. Fire and Water, Dylan and Leo… These were most definitely their treasured memory.

"Wow, I can see why you loved these. Now that I think of it, you wore these pendants on the day that my Dad married my mother right?" Aedan asked. Dylan wiped the tears from his eyes, standing straight up and preserving the authority he had established. Though I doubt a Quilava can do just that…

"Correct, me and Leo were also the ring bearers on that special day as well. We wore these pendants as a sign of love coming true." Dylan looked wistful when he said that. Some positive memories had been dug up. Leo had a sly smile and got closer to Dylan. He made a kissy face and tried bringing his lips upon Dylan. He failed to do so and instead got a knuckle to the noggin from Dylan. He chuckled,

"Well I see someone's a bit nostalgic," he said. Dylan scoffed and looked away from him. I giggled a bit, these two were crazy for each other. It's kinda funny and cute. My thoughts were soon cut off by Adrian who once again hugged me from behind nearly tipping me over.

"Don't worry Nathan! We'll be just as lovey dovey as they are!" he said. I blushed and felt a bit weak. _We'll be lovey dovey?_ I thought. I looked at Dylan, who had the same expression as I did. I sighed, these were the two dopes Dylan and I had to deal with.

"Alright, now that the ghost of Dylan past has been satisfied, why don't we go out for some fresh air?" Aedan said. There was no denying that we needed some outdoors time, so we all went down the attic stairs and went into Aedan's room to change out of our robes. I'd forgotten we had them on. We took turns in the bathroom. Dylan came out looking as sharp as ever, Leo was still all the more laidback, and Aedan had this more adventurous look that suited him nicely. I went in noticing a pair of clothing had been laid out for me. I closed the door behind me and took of my robe. I folded it as neatly as I could and placed it on a pile of dirty laundry. I grabbed the polo shirt and shorts. I put them on and noticed my reflection.

This was an all new me… standing here in the mirror. No longer did I have dirt all over my face, instead, my skin was as clear as a newborn baby. My clothes didn't sag and have any markings on them. They didn't have any rips or tears on them, they looked brand new and freshly nit. Instead of that bumbling Pansage I once saw, I now see a young and healthy Pokemon with the luck of an angel.

I stared deep at my reflection for a few good minutes, noticing all the change and differences the past few days had on me. I nearly forgot who I really was, and I almost forgot about my true mother and father. My actual siblings and relatives. My actual friends… that don't exist. Maybe… maybe this is the best place for me…

I heard a knock at door, Dylan was shouting through the door. I could barely hear what he was saying. I'd zoned off deep into thought, not even considering what I was about to do. Which was… what again? I exited the bathroom, the Quilava standing at the door with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "Yeah… just had a bit of a moment there. Nothing big really," I said to him. Dylan looked at me with scepticism in his eyes, almost like he knew what my problems were. I'd most likely be relying on him a lot. He was someone that I could trust. Somehow, that made me feel a bit better. I looked up at him with a smile.

"We shouldn't keep our 'partners' waiting," he chuckled. "Ah yes, to what our fate is with those two simpletons is beyond me. Though I doubt they would think of anything relevant to the future, especially not Leo."

"Yeah, well Aedan's a little…" we both started chuckling. The thought of our best friends was enough to make us giggle under out breath. "Shall I?" I asked. "Allow me," he responded. With that, we entered the bedroom. Aedan and Leo were lying on their respective mattresses, waiting for us in the most seductive way possible. Aedan looked at me with a demanding eye, Leo looked at Dylan with a sly and playful smile.

"What kept you so long~?" Aedan said. "You had us waiting too long y'know~" Leo said. Dylan and I looked at each other in disbelief. We nodded, and walked out the door together. It didn't take long for the two to come out running towards us with apologetic tones. They ran up to us and looked at us with the best puppy eyes impression possible. Grasping onto our legs with tight grips. Dylan and I sighed simultaneously. Yep… these were the two we were stuck with…

 **\- *2:00 P.M. Eastern Jubilife City -**

"We're here!" shouted Aedan. We were at the exit for Route 218 towards Canalave City, Aedan already had a plan on what to do. In his hands were four Town Maps, the most latest design as well. He handed us each a map and pointed to our designated area. Apparently, there had been a sighting of a mysterious and mythical creature roaming around Canalave City. Supposedly some Pokemon have been stating they saw one of the Lake Guardians, other say they saw an unidentifiable creature that had some sort of yellow ornament on its head. If you were to put two and two together, you'd know that people might've have seen the legendary being of Knowledge Uxie. It's only ever been seen once by another legend who took on the devil himself in the… what was that world called again? I'm not sure… after all, it is a tale about a human. Those haven't been on earth for hundreds of years.

My train of thought was cut off by Aedan, who told us we'd be split up and going to certain locations. Leo would be going to the north of route 218, while Dylan would be finding clues closer to Jubilife City. Then Aedan would look closer towards Canalave City, I was assigned an area closer to the famous Lake Verity. We decided that we would meet by the entrance of Jubilife City by 5:00 P.M. sharp.

"All right, now be careful. All of you. I can't bear the thought of ever losing any of you," said Aedan. I could tell he meant what he said. _Huh, so he does care about me. That's… actually quite nice._ We all took our separate ways, promising each other that we wouldn't get lost. Or try to run off, and I couldn't help but feel that was directed towards me. I shrugged it off, and I left for the southern part of Route 218. Thankfully, the path wasn't all too difficult to navigate. Instead of being surrounded by water, I was surrounded by plentiful amounts of trees. I took a breath in and relaxed, breathing out. I looked at my Map to see if I was any closer to my destination. The scent of pines nearly distracted me from doing so, the leaves rustling in the wind had almost done the same as they flew past my head. I shook my head, trying to focus.

 **\- 3:00 P.M. Southern Route 218 -**

Hm… I think this is the spot Aedan assigned me to. I took a look around and noticed I was getting farther away from the actual route and more closer towards Lake Verity. Walking along the cliffside, I got up to a higher viewpoint to see where I had just gone for the past hour. There right in front of me, was Lake Verity. I decided that would probably be the best place to look for clues. The place had been long abandoned ever since a mysterious presence started scaring off anyone who tried bathing in the Lake. Many have been courageous enough to stand up against this mysterious presence and went inside the Cave where a voice could be heard. But each and every single time, they would be either scared off, or be forced out with several bruises on their bodies. It was truly a bit dangerous, but it's most likely the best place to look.

Walking along the shoreline, I looked at the cave that so many have avoided. I was rather curious to see what was inside. The only problem was… embarrassingly enough… I couldn't swim. So I just stood there, thinking what could possibly be inside that cavern. Is it another Pokemon? _Actually… that doesn't sound too far off. If it was a Pokemon, then who could be that powerful to be able to ward off any trespassers?_ It was there when it had crossed my mind. The culprit, could've been the Legendary Pokemon Uxie. Only one problem, Uxie inhabited Lake Acuity near Snowpoint City. Which is several thousands of miles away from here. Not to mention… the being of emotion, Mesprit, was supposed to be here. Not Uxie. Yet people here are claiming they saw something with a yellow ornament on its head. Last time I checked, Mesprit was the color pink. Without realizing it, I got closer to the shoreline. If only I was a water type… maybe then I could swim across this lake and be able to at least talk to the _thing_ inside that ever so mysteriously beckoning cavern.

"You should be careful for what you wish for…" A voice spoke out to me. I jumped back a bit. Looking around me, with nobody in plain sight. _Is this?!_

"Yes, indeed. I am the being you and your friends have been looking for," I looked behind me, nothing, in front of me. Still… nothing.

"Open your eyes young one… for the being of Knowledge has arrived…" Suddenly, a shimmering light appeared from the cavern. Out came… Uxie… but that's, impossible!

"Don't be a fool, have you not known of the migration?" I stared at the Pokemon that just came out of a dark hole dumbfounded. "A migration…?" I said.

"Yes, ever since that fated day; when a human came and saved the world from the Distorted and Callous Giratina, me and my brethren have decided to swap our locations. It was for the best, as we could no longer take any chances. Those fiends who had once captured us took advantage of the landscapes where we once meditated, waiting for the day when a chosen would be born. Our lord Arceus has told us of this, and in order to be prepared, he placed us in these caverns thinking they were our proper places. Suffice to say, they were not. I did not like the cold, and it made me somewhat weak. Azelf wasn't accustomed to living in a place prone to earthquakes, while Mesprit felt rather lonely in his secluded cavern. Swapping locations was the best we could do so that we'd feel a bit better. Of course, my peace has been interrupted hundreds of times for the past millennia or two." he said.

So the stories of the three beings of power are true… Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf. Emotion, Knowledge, and Willpower. They existed. I couldn't believe my luck, here floating in front of my eyes was a legendary Pokemon thought to have been lost to time. Which begged the question,

"Why did I appear before you? Simple, I have some… rather unfortunate news about your 'friend' that may or may not be heartbreaking." Wait… was he talking about Aedan? What could Uxie be talking about him that would be damaging my view of Aedan and his family?

"Your friend… his parents aren't what they seem to be." His parents? Now I'm even more confused.

"Simply put, that Lucario named Darrell. The false Infernape named Azalea… in truth. They are in realit-" Uxie was cut off by a familiar voice calling my name. I looked at the time, it was nearly 5:00. Crap, I'd better hurry back to Jubilife City, but first.

He was gone… the Pokemon speaking before me had disappeared. I looked around, and Uxie had truly vanished from sight. He said something about Aedan's parents, "False Infernape"? What did he mean by that? I decided it was best not to think about it for now. I ran back into the forest making way for Jubilife City.

"Nathan… remember not to trust his parents. They are not what they seem to be. Come back to the lake tomorrow… and be sure to bring with you Aedan. For the truth shall be revealed." I heard a voice in my head say. I would be sure to fulfill their wishes.

The truth about his parents… I wonder…


End file.
